Senior
Over 50 drivers filled out the field for Senior with the first group led by 2009 Junior champion Nick Neri (Tony Kart), making his official Senior debut after breaking his arm during practice at last year’s event. Put into the slower group of qualifying due to coming in half a pound light in yesterday’s final practice session. Neri’s time of 58.868 was quickest of the session in his second circuit, clear by two-tenths but a full grid of drivers waiting to take the track. The quickest out lap of the second group was 2005 champion Wes Phillips (CRG) with a 59.105 lap. Jesus Rios Jr. (Birel) was able to get clear track as he was able to better Phillips lap with a 59.091, still not quick enough to knock down Neri. Joey Wimsett (CRG) posted a similar time, slotting into the second spot on the group and third overall with Phillips falling to fourth. That all changed as a group of drivers hit the track with six minutes remaining. Phillip Arscott (Tony Kart), defending champion Stepanova Nekeel (Kosmic) and Andrew Palmer (Kosmic) went 1-2-3 on their out laps. Arscott bettered his time to get into the 58’s and sit atop the group standings, not quite enough to edge out Neri. With clear track, Arscott completed his third lap but unable to improve his time. At the checkered, Neri’s time held through the battle to score him the pole position. Arscott ended up second overall as he and Neri were the only drivers into the 58’s. Nekeel was third, Palmer fourth and Tristan DeGrand (Kosmic) capping off the fast-five.

Heat one for groups 1 and 3 began the heat races for Senior as top qualifier Neri and defending champ Nekeel filled out the front row. Clean throught turn one, Neri held the lead until they began shuffling for the lead. At the line for the first time, DeGrand held the lead over Neri and Nekeel. Sam Beasley (Arrow) got into the mix as well, moving to third by the completiong of lap two with Neri dropping to fourth as Nekeel led DeGrand. Neri tried to work by Beasley, and the two lost ground to the top two and allowed Wimsett into the mix for third. Lap three, DeGrand assumed the lead once again through a pass in turn 11, this brought the top-five together in one pack. Lap six, Beasley was into second and Wimsett around Neri for fourth. This put DeGrand out to about five kart lengths out front. Neri returned to fourth on lap eight and began putting the pressure on Nekeel. As they came down the straight, Nekeel seemed off power as both Neri and Wimsett went by. At the checkered, DeGrand too the win by six-tenths over Beasley, Neri, Wimsett and Nekeel with Formal up to sixth.
 

Arscott and Palmer led the way to begin the heat between groups 2 and 4. After two false starts, they got underway and it was ciaos as they ran through the first lap with numerous incidents around the course. As they completed the first lap, Kiel Spaulding (Tony Kart) was out in the lead with a 1.6-second lead over Phillips with NASCAR’s AJ Allmendinger (Arrow) into third. Arscott fell back to ninth with Palmer out of the race in turn one. Phillips shook off Dinger by lap three and look to cut the gap Spaulding had gained in the opening circuits. After four laps, the lead was 1.4-seconds with both Spaulding and Phillips posting their fast lap of the race to that point. Spaulding went even quicker with Phillips unable to match, extending his lead back to 1.7-second as Dinger was coming under pressure from Jeremy Kane (Arrow) and Matt Hart (Arrow). Lap eight, Arscott pulled off to the pit lane as he was given the meatball flag for a damaged side nerf bar. Spaulding continued to push the fast lap of the race lower, taking the heat win by 2.9-seconds. Dinger held on to third over Kane and Hart. After the race, Phillips was penalized 10-seconds for a driving infraction, putting him back to ninth and moving Nick Rivellini (CRG) into fifth.

DD2/DD2 Masters
Andrew Longe (CRG) came out of the pit lane with the provisional pole in the DD2 qualifying session until 2010 runner-up Derek Wang (Kosmic) put down his fast time on lap two with a 57.707. TJ Fischer (Birel) was late onto the course and jumped into the second spot with his second lap of the session. Then Bronson Eggert (Birel) came on later to post a better time than Fischer. The positions kept changing as the session closed with Kristina Vorndran (CRG) moving into the third position, dropping Fischer down to fourth and Longe to fifth. They would finish that way with Wang earning the pole position. In the Masters category, Michael Ostrowski (Birel) was quickest with a 58.897-lap over Erik Jackson (Arrow), Andre Eriksen (CRG), Todd Ulman (CRG) and DJ Ortiz (Tony Kart).
 

From the outside row one position, Eggert got the jump on Wang to take over the lead through the opening corners of the first heat race. The top two pulled out to a half-second lead over Vorndran but went away as Wang took back the lead into turn one as they began lap two. Eggert now came under pressure from Vorndran with the Fisther and Mauel close behind. With a great draft down the front straight, Vorndran passed Eggert for the second spot while Mauel took over the fourth position. At the halfway mark, Wang’s lead was over 1.5-seconds as the group behind him kept battling for position with Vorndran holding second over Mauel with Fisher to fourth and Eggert to fifth. Although Vorndran closed in the closing laps, Wang held on to score the heat win with Mauel, Fisher and Eggert completing the top-five. In the Masters race, Ostrowski took the win over Jackson and Ulmen with Eriksen back to fifth behind Ortiz.

Masters
One of the largest Masters field of the Grand Nationals hit the track for qualifying as 30 drivers made their bid for the pole position. Local driver and veteran shifterkart Masters driver Bonnier Moulton (Arrow) was quickest on the out lap of the session before California’s Jerry Henderson (Tony Kart) bettered his time. It was short-lived as 2009 provisional winner John Crow (Tony Kart) was close to the 1:00-flat mark. Crow, who took the checkered flag in Oklahoma was removed from the win for missing a spark plug washer, handing it to Mike Daniel (CRG). Crow set his lap and then slowed for a number of laps before turning in. Most of the field posted their fast lap of the session early on. Henderson ended up second with Moulton down to third. Scott Holmboe (Swiss Hutless) was fourth with Jason Bell (Tony Kart) rounding out the fast-five.

The first few rows were clean through the first corner to begin heat one but a spin mid pack sent the rest of the field shuffling around. Crow held the lead with Moulton into second and Henderson in third, as the top three pulled away from a large pack for fourth led by Scott Falcone (Arrow) with Bell pushing. Henderson was able to work by Moulton for second but only close to within eight-tenths of Crow as he took the win. Moulton settled for third while Bell got around Falcone in the final laps for fourth.
 

Junior
The Junior field of over 40 drivers was split into two groups with Sebastian Coulson (FA Kart) setting the mark for the first group with a 59.484-lap. The first laps atop the order shuffled around with a few drivers taking the spot provisionally before the top dogs hit the track at the four-minute mark. After five minutes, Jeremy Doll (Haase) held the top spot with a 59.142-lap. AJ Myers (Arrow) got into the mix on his out lap, jumping to second in the order to move Logan Bearden (Haase) down to third. Oliver Askew (Tony Kart), on his opening circuit, advanced to the pole position with 59.106 but was moved down the order as both Dalton Sargeant (Tony Kart) and Myers bettered his time - both on their second laps. Askew was unable to better his time on his second run while Sargeant bettered his time to a 58.499-lap. On his third lap, Askew jumped over Myers’ time. Ethan Lowe (Tony Kart) advanced to the fourth spot on his fourth circuit with Doll dropping to fifth. In the end, Sargeant’s time stood with Askew the only other driver below the 59-second mark. Myers was third with Lowe and Doll capping off the fast-five.

Sargeant and Myers led the groups 1 and 3 to the green light to begin the first heat run but like the Mini Max drivers, the red flag was brought out after two false starts. Once started, Myers got the jump on Sargeant with Bearden slotting into third. The top three broke out to a small gap as they completed the first lap with Sargeant returning to the top spot as they drafted into the first turn. With Sargeant at the point, Myers kept on his bumper as Bearden dropped off to the hands of Dore Chaponick Jr. (FA Kart), who was up to fourth from the seventh row in just three laps. Lap five, Chaponick was up to the third spot with Doll now on the heels of Bearden for fourth. Starting lap seven, Bearden and Doll worked together, drafting by Chaponick for position into turn one. With two laps to go, Chaponick worked back around Doll and began running down Bearden. At the line, Sargeant took the win over Myers. Bearden held off the late charge from Chaponick with Doll in fifth.

Groups 2 and 4 took to the track next with Askew and Lowe on the front row. During a false start, drivers in the back stacked up before turn one with one driver - Daniel Roeper (CRG) going over on his head. The red flag came out to attend to all the drivers involved, with everyone walking away. Askew took the lead when the race finally got underway with Lowe dropping in behind in second. Brennan Harrington (Kosmic) jumped up to third with Craig back to fourth and Enzo Mestre (CRG) up to fifth. Askew was out to an eight-tenths advantage over the first lap with Craig and Harrington dicing it out for third. At the halfway point, Askew had a two-second gap over Lowe with Parker McKean (Kosmic) now in the fight for third with Craig and Harrington. After some exchanges, Craig held the spot as they got the two laps to go signal. Harrington tried in turn one as the started the final lap but Craig held him back. This allowed McKean to challenge Harrington, but he was shut down as well in turn 10. Askew took a demanding win by over five seconds ahead of Lowe. Craig finished third with Harrington and McKean completing the top-five.
 

Mini Max
Juan Manuel Correa (Birel) set the bar for the Mini Max class as he led the Group B session with a 1:02.888 before Group A hit the track. Christian Brooks (Tony Kart) jumped out with the provisional pole as the only driver into the 1:01’s. Brooks ran behind the 2009 Micro Max champion Logan Sargeant (Kart Mini), getting a great draft in the second lap of the session to place his quick time. Brooks time held through the session and ended up as the only driver under the 1:02 mark with a 1:01.905. Devlin DeFrancesco (Top Kart) ended the run second overall with Sargeant in third, bettering his time on lap nine. Christian Cole (CRG) posted his best lap on circuit seven to end up fourth with Austin Versteeg (CRG) capping off the fast-five.

After splitting up the field based on their qualifying times into four groups, group 1 and group 3 took to the track for their opening heat race with Brooks and Sargeant leading the field to the green light. Brooks kept the point as they made their way through the first few corners with Sargeant dropping back to fifth with Kyle Kirkwood (Arrow) up from third row along with Darren Keane (CRG) and Versteeg. The top five drivers pulled away in just the first three laps of the eight-lap contest. After some shuffling, Brooks jumped out to a seven-tenths lead as Versteeg was up to second over Sargeant and Kirkwood with Keane falling off the lead-chase group. On lap seven, Sargeant was able to get into the second spot and cut into Brooks lead very quickly with his fast lap of the race. Sargeant closed right up on the bumper of Brooks in the final corner. After some jostling in the esses leading into the final corner, Brooks held onto the lead and crossed in the first position. Sargeant settled for second, Versteeg in third, Kirkwood fourth and Keane back in fifth.

Groups 2 and 4 set off for their opening heat race with DeFrancesco and Cole on the front row. After two failed attempts, the race director pulled out the red flag to chat with the drivers in the field. Back on the track, the green lights went on with DeFrancesco into the lead and pressured by Royal McKee (Tony Kart) from the third row. McKee took the lead from Devlin while he came under pressure from Sebastian Sierra (Tony Kart). After shaking him off, Devlin went on the attack for McKee and retook the lead as they began lap four. The front two pulled out to a one-second advantage over Thomas Issa (CRG), Sierra, and Patricio O’Ward (Kosmic), up from sixth row after qualifying 12th overall. The front two battled to the final few feet with DeFrancesco taking the win by just 0.070-seconds over McKee. Sierra won the battle for third over Issa and O’Ward. Sierra however was removed in the tech barn, moving Issa up to third, O’Ward fourth and Cole fifth.
 

Micro Max
The Micro Max category kicked off the qualifying session with Neil Verhagen (Haase) as the provisional pole driver, using a couple partners to draft with around the track. His second circuit was quickest at 1:06.695. Eleven-minutes into the 15-minute session, the Birel drivers of Justin Sirgany and David Malukas worked together to better Verhagen’s time. Sirgany posted a lap of 1:06.616 to take over the pole position with Malukas just 0.047-seconds off. Their fast laps held through the end of the session to fill out the front row. Verhagen dropped to third alongside Nicholas Brueckner (Arrow) and defending champion Anthony Gangi Jr. (CRG) capping off the fast-five.

Sirgany and Malukas brought the field to the green light to begin heat one with Sirgany using the pole position spot to lead through the opening corners. Malukas ran second with Brueckner up to third with Verhagen back to fourth with Gangi making up the top-five. Six drivers made up the lead group with Mathias Ramirez (Tony Kart) joining the fight. The group shuffled around until Sirgany and Verhagen got a small advantage on the now fight for third. Getting the halfway signal of the eight-lap battle, Verhagen put on the pressure to overtake the lead, but Sirgany shut the door, allowing Gangi to close in bringing Ramirez and Phillip Varner (CRG). Gangi first worked by Verhagen for second and around Sirgany at the end of lap six. Both Verhagen and Sirgany worked by Gangi for the lead as they worked through the first corner of the final lap. On the exit, a few drivers made contact, shuffling up the order. Crossing the line for the checkered flag, Sirgany took the win over Varner, Ramirez, Gangi and Malukas.

With the first day in the books, drivers and the teams will work over the data collected on focus on recording two solid results in the two final rounds of heat races on Friday. The results will then sort the field for the Prefinal lineup and unfortunately those who must go through the Last Chance Qualifier tomorrow evening in Mini Max, Junior and Senior.

For Friday, there was a palpable tension in the Miller Motorsports Park paddock. After practice and both qualifying and the first round of heat races, the drivers knew that it was the day to make or break their chances at a national podium. You would have expected that the drivers would play intelligently, but you would have been wrong, as on-track issues were aplenty, especially those focused at problematic starts. In the three categories to decide the Team USA for the Rotax Grand Finals, Tristan DeGrand (Senior), Derek Wang (DD2) and Dalton Sargeant (Junior) were on their game in the first two days to start championship Saturday at the top of the charts.

Senior
Groups 1 and 2 kicked off the second round of heat races with Nick Neri (Tony Kart) and Phillip Arscott (Tony Kart). Neri held the pole position to take the lead with Tristan DeGrand (Kosmic) coming through to take second from Arscott in the opening corner. With Arscott on his bumper, DeGrand pushed through to take over the lead after completing the first lap with Sam Beasley (Arrow) up to fourth. The four began a heated battle for the lead with Arscott taking a turn before Neri made his way back to the point. After six laps, Neri showed the way with Arscott and Beasley trailing. DeGrand was a couple ticks off in fourth with Jesus Rios Jr. (Birel) and Christopher Stone (Tony Kart) running fifth and sixth. Lap eight, Stone retired on course, leaving just the top-five running out front with a host of others battling for sixth, including AJ Allmendinger (Arrow). Neri would go on to take the win over Arscott, Beasley, DeGrand and Rios. Dinger finished sixth with Geoffery Roberti (Tony Kart) up to seventh and Spualding in eight.
 

For groups 3 and 4 to complete the second round of heat races, Louie Pagano (Birel) was late out of the pit lane and was put to the back of the field to begin the race. Stepanova Nekeel (Kosmic) and Andrew Palmer (Kosmic) led the field to the green light with a clean first few corners. Nekeel led the way as Joey Wimsett (CRG) jumped through to sit second ahead of Kyle Byers (Kosmic). Connor Thomas (Arrow) was fourth with Daniel Formal (Birel) up into the top-five as they completed the first lap, dropping Wes Phillips (CRG) from row two back to sixth and Palmer all the way to seventh. Completing lap four, Nekeel, Wimsett and Byers sat comfortably out front as Phillips felt the pressure from Formal as Palmer was able to get back to sixth around Thomas. The front of the field ran pretty static in the remaining laps with Nekeel taking the win over Wimsett and Byers. Phillips ran fourth with Palmer able to work by Formal for the fifth spot.

Groups 1 and 4 began the third round of heats for the Senior category with Neri and Palmer - two Senior rookies - on the front row. Clean through the first few corners, the field shuffled it up with DeGrand out front ahead of Neri, Palmer and Phillips. With DeGrand out front, the fight for second climbed to six karts with Mason Marotta (Tony Kart), Beasley and Roberti into the mix. Phillips took over the second spot on lap two with Palmer establishing the third position as he felt the pressure from the rest of the group. Beasley continued charging as he did each heat race, up into the third spot as they began the sixth lap. At that time, DeGrand’s lead was 1.5-seconds as he knocked off his fast lap just prior. He increased his lead and dropped the fast lap on the sixth circuit as Phillips made a slight error and now felt the pressure of Beasley. Lap eight, Beasley took over the second spot from Phillips. DeGrand and Beasley each posted fast laps as they completed the ninth circuit, with DeGrand still holding a comfortable lead. At the checkered, DeGrand scored his second heat win by 1.5-seconds over Beasley. Phillips ended up third with Neri and Palmer rounding out the top-five. Beasley however would be underweight at the scales, removing him from the results and advancing everyone behind him.

Groups 2 and 3 wrapped up the heat race action for the day with Arscott and Nekeel on the front row. Arscott jumped to the lead with a great push from Rios back in the second row. Nekeel dropped to fourth as Wimsett was also able to come around for the third spot. The front three were out to a good gap completing lap two with Dinger around Nekeel for the fourth spot. Halfway through the 10-lap run, the front three continued to run clean out front with Dinger and Nekeel joined by Spaulding. Spaulding first took care of Nekeel for fifth and then pressured Dinger for fourth. Meanwhile, Rios closed the gap on Arscott and passed for the lead in turn 11. Arscott went right back to the point as they went through turn one to begin lap eight. Lap nine, Spaulding and Dinger were battling on track when contact was made. Spaulding was sidelined while AJ was disqualified from the heat race for the contact. On the final lap, Rios closed back in but was unable to make a pass with Arscott taking his first heat win of the event. Wimsett was third with Formal up to fourth with Thomas into fifth.

The Senior group of the Last Chance Qualifier showed the other two categories how it’s done. The front four drivers settled in the early laps and drove on to finish the race with no issues. Tyler Bennett (Tony Kart) took the win over Michael Pagano (Haase), Stone, and Tyler Edwards (Tony Kart). Jorge Cevallos (Tony Kart) advanced up to fifth as the battle for the transfer spot was the highlight. Carter Fartuch (CRG) held the position before Garrett Maxfield (Arrow) took over the spot. A charging Will Owen (Arrow) posted the fast laps of the race to overtake Maxfield for the spot and hold it through to the checkered flag to start 34th in Saturday’s Prefinal.
 

DD2/DD2 Masters
Derek Wang (Kosmic) led the field to the green flag to begin heat two with outside pole position Bronson Eggert (Birel) getting shuffled back to fourth behind Kristina Vorndran (CRG) and Andrew Longe (CRG). Eggert moved back up to third as they completed the first lap. The top five spaced out nicely as they completed the second lap with TJ Fischer (Birel) in the fifth position. The front three broke away and changed when the meatball flag was given to Vorndran for a broken radiator dragging on the left rear tire. This gave Wang some gap over Eggert as he was unable to work around the broken machine of Vorndran. As she kept ignoring the meatball flag, she continued on in the second position as Eggert ran third, well ahead of the fight for third now with Fischer, Mitch Carey (Arrow) and Nathaniel Mauel (Kosmic). At the checkered, Wang took the win with Vorndran staying on course, crossing in second but removed from the results and fined $100 for ignoring the flag. Eggert earned the second position with Fischer third, Carey fourth and Mauel fifth. Michael Ostrowski (Birel) was the winner in the Masters category over Erik Jackson (Arrow), Todd Ulmen (CRG), Andre Eriksen (CRG) and DJ Ortiz (Tony Kart).

Eggert got the jump on Wang to begin heat three as he came down across through the first turn to take over the top spot. They went back and forth through turns 10 and 11 before Wang secured the spot back to complete the opening lap. Vorndran and Fischer sat right there to make up a four kart lead group. Halfway through, the positions went unchanged as Wang pulled out to a solid lead over Eggert, who had Vorndran on his bumper with Fischer falling off the lead group in fourth. Lap seven, Wang’s lead was cut into as he dropped about four-tenths off and Eggert close in on his bumper lap eight with his fastest lap of the race. Eggert made the move through turn one, taking back the lead but Wang came right back in turn 10. Vorndran joined the fight in turn 11, but they returned to their original positions as they took the white flag. Wang would hold on for his third heat win and the pole for the Prefinal, Eggert second, Vorndran third, Fischer fourth and Mauel fifth. Ostrowski won his third Masters heat race as well over Jackson with Eriksen, Ortiz and Conrad Park (CRG) filling out the top-five.
 

Masters
The Tony Karts of John Crow and Jerry Henderson led the field to the green flag to begin heat two. As they did in heat one, the top three with Bonnier Moulton (Arrow) broke away as the rest of the field shuffled around behind them. Jason Bell (Tony Kart) and Scott Falcone (Arrow) rounded out the top-five early. Lap two however, the red flag came out for an issue in turn three. The driver - Alex Harrold (Intrepid) - was attended to and taken off the track with what appeared to be minor injuries. With only one completed lap, the race was completely restarted. The field took the green lights once again with a similar start as Crow, Moulton and Henderson out front. Scott Holmboe (Swiss Hutless) held the fourth spot through the first lap with Falcone in fifth. This time, the top five grouped together but spaced out by the second lap. Lap four, Henderson caught Moulton and worked around for position with Holmboe going by as well. At the halfway point, Crow’s lead was a full second now with Moulton coming under pressure from Falcone. In the end, Crow would go on to win his second over Henderson with Holmboe edging out Falcone for third with Brent Harper (Swiss Hutless) up to fifth. Moulton dropped to eighth behind Bell and 2009 champion Mike Daniel (Arrow) with Andy Seesemann (Arrow) up to ninth.

A clean start to begin heat three, Crow and Henderson led the way before Henderson took over the lead as they completed the first lap. Crow ducked in behind as Moulton kept close to the top two. As they hit the halfway mark, the gap remained the same between Henderson and Crow with Moulton and Falcone about the same distance behind them. Crow looked as if he may make a charge each time down to turn 10, but pulled back. Henderson took his first heat win by just 0.210-seconds over Crow with Moulton, Falcone and Bell wrapping up the top five.
 

Junior
Groups 1 and 2 began the second round of heat races for the Junior category with top qualifiers Dalton Sargeant (Tony Kart) and Oliver Askew (Tony Kart) on the front row. A few drivers got bunched up mid-pack and that allowed the top four karts with Jeremy Doll (Haase) and Jonathan May (Tony Kart) joining the lead group. After two laps, Sargeant stretched out to a half-second gap over Askew with Doll alone in third. May was under pressure from Brendan Harrington (Kosmic), Parker McKean (Kosmic), and Dore Chaponick Jr. (FA Kart). Halfway through the 10-lap run, Sargeant and Askew ran clean out front with Chaponick moving up into the third spot over Doll with Harrington in fifth. Sargeant drove on to score the win by over two-seconds ahead of Askew with Chaponick up to third. Harrington was able to make a great move in turn 11 for the fourth spot, moving Doll to fifth.

AJ Myers (Arrow) and Ethan Low (Tony Kart) led groups 3 and 4 to the green light for their second heat race of the event. Myers got the jump, bringing Logan Bearden (Haase) with him to push Low back to third. He was later pushed back to fourth with Jake Craig (CRG) working by in turn 11 with a deep move. A group of seven formed the lead pack with Bearden applying heavy pressure to Myers through the tight sections of the track. Down the front straight, Bearden was able to draft by for the lead as they began lap three. With Craig trailing, the top two broke away from the battle in fourth. At the halfway point, Low was able to close back on the rear bumper of Craig. Myers held on to the bumper of Bearden until lap eight when he drafted by for the lead as they entered turn one. Myers would go on to take the win over Bearden, Craig held off Low for third with Brody Zink (Kosmic) advancing up to finish fifth.

Sargeant continued his run out front, pulling out to a seven-tenths advantage to begin the group 1 versus 4 heat race with Doll, Craig, Sebastian Coulson (FA Kart), Chaponick and Jordan Perry (Tony Kart) forming the battle for second. Chaponick and Coulson worked together to get their karts to the front of the pack while Sargeant continued to extend his lead. The driver that continued to move forward was Perry. After working around Craig, he passed Coulson through turn 10 to take over the third position on lap eight. In the final laps, Coulson fought back, taking back the third spot. Craig moved up as well, pushing Perry back to fifth. At the checkered, Sargeant took the win by over five-seconds over Chaponick.

The final heat of the Junior category put groups 2 and 3 against one another with Askew showing the way over Myers with Bearden and Harrington trailing as they completed lap one. The fight on track early was for fifth as May, McKean and Gavin Reichelt (Birel) diced it out for the spot through the first half of the race. McKean broke away from the group, leaving a host of others behind to battle for sixth now. At the checkered, Askew drove off to a 0.769-second win over Myers. Bearden won the battle for third over Harrington with McKean crossing the line in fifth.

Fourteen drivers made up the field for the Junior Last Chance Qualifier with Lincoln Steel (Tony Kart) and Clark Toppe (Kosmic) on the front row. Steel and Austin McCusker (Haase) led the way with Perry up to third ahead of Toppe, Konrad Czaczyk (CRG) and Daley Pagano (FA Kart) in the transfer spots. Perry found his way to the point with Steel latched to his bumper as the drove away from the mess behind them. The front six were well out in front of the rest of the pack, all comfortable in a transfer position after three laps of the 10-lap run. Just like the Mini Max final, the front runners could not hold their positions as Lindsey Brewer (Birel) and Walker Hess (Tony Kart) moved up into the top-six with Pagano and Czaczyk out of the transfer spots.
 

Mini Max
Groups 1 and 2 began the second round of Mini Max heat race action with the top two qualifiers from Friday leading the way: Christian Brooks (Tony Kart) and Devlin DeFrancesco (Top Kart). The first attempt at a start was aborted when a few back markers got together and retired before the green lights went out on the second start. Brooks got a clean start and broke away as DeFrancesco dropped back to fifth in the opening corners. Austin Versteeg (CRG) challenged Brooks over the first lap and took over the lead as they drafted to turn one. Kyle Kirkwood (Arrow) was up to third with DeFrancesco back up to fourth completing the first lap, ahead of Royal McKee (Tony Kart). Brooks retook the spot on lap three as the top two broke away with DeFrancesco and McKee leading the second group. With two to go, DeFrancesco and McKee caught and drafted by Versteeg for position. On the final lap, the trio exchanged the second position through the first three corners with Versteeg back into the position as they entered the second half of the track. At the checkered, Brooks took his second heat win with Versteeg holding on to second over DeFrancesco and McKee. Kirkwood capped off the top-five.

Heat two for groups 3 and 4 saw Logan Sargeant (Kart Mini) and Christian Cole (CRG) leading the field to the green light. Sargeant converted the pole position into the lead with Cole dropping out of the top-10 through the opening lap. Crossing the line for the first time, Darren Keane (CRG) was into second with Sting Ray Robb (Tony Kart), Juan David Buitrago (Tony Kart) and Patricio O’Ward (Kosmic) making up the top-five. Through two laps, Sargeant held a comfortable lead as the top two were spaced out well with the battle for third heating up. After three laps, Robb was shuffled back to fifth with Buitrago and O’Ward working around for position. Sebastian Sierra (Tony Kart) joined the fight for third with Robb now dropped to sixth and losing the draft. The group fighting for third worked together to close up on Keane to make it a great battle for second in the final lap. Through turns 10 and 11, the position exchanged with O’Ward taking the position. At the line, Sargeant took the win by four-seconds with O’Ward in second, Keane third, Sierra fourth and Buitrago fifth.

Groups 1 and 4 began the third round of heat action with Brooks and Cole on the front row. Brooks held the lead through the first corner with Versteeg and Kirkwood through for second and third as Cole fell down the order to sixth behind Sierra and O’Ward. The top four drove away through the first two laps, leaving O’Ward and Cole to battle for fifth. The lead group shuffled around as Brooks dropped to fourth on lap three with Versteeg, Kirkwood and Sierra going by. Brooks took back the third spot on lap four and looked for a way around Kirkwood, but starting lap six Kirkwood drafted by Versteeg for the lead heading into turn one. Versteeg returned the favor the next time around in the same corner. White flag displayed and Versteeg held the tight line down the front straight with Kirkwood and Brooks trailing. Kirkwood made the move in turn 10 but went wide on the exit, allowing Versteeg and Brooks by. At the line, Versteeg edged out Brooks for the win by 0.096-seconds. Kirkwood settled for third with Sierra and O’Ward filling out the top-five.

DeFrancesco and Sargeant led the field out onto the track for heat race three for groups 2 and 3. Drama began before the lights went on to start the race. DeFrancesco went an extra hot lap before forming up the field. Officials stopped them on course and moved him to the tail of the field. When they restarted, Thomas Issa (CRG) was unable to get refired, but did and rejoined just after the green light went on. McKee led the way to begin the race with Sargeant planted on his rear bumper. The two pulled out to a six-tenths advantage with Sargeant taking over the lead as they began lap four. They spaced themselves out while Flinn Lazier (Tony Kart) was on a charge forward, up to third by lap four with Michael Michoff (Birel) and Keane completing the top-five. Lazier got away with third cleanly with Glasson now on the move as he moved up to fourth as Michoff fell out of the top-10 on lap six. At the checkered, Sargeant took the win by over two-seconds ahead of McKee and Lazier. Keane won the battle for fourth over Glasson while DeFrancesco advanced to 12th.

Twelve drivers filled out the Last Chance Qualifier grid with Corrie Hiatt (Birel) and Mitch Goldfarb (Birel) on the front row. On the opening lap, three drivers spun off at turn 10 with Trenton Estep (Arrow) and Toni Breidinger (CRG) and Annie Breidinger (CRG) involved. Estep and Toni continued on at the back with Annie sidelined. Lap three, Hiatt, dropped off course and fell back to seventh with Estep now into the sixth transfer spot. On the final lap, the top three continued to battle hard and contact was made in turn 10. Joshua Sirgany (CRG) was involved and retired on the sidelines. John Pardee (Birel) took the win with Fraser McConnell (CRG) in second. Goldfarb crossed the line third with Christian Durate (Birel), Estep and Hiatt in the transfer positions. Following the race, Pardee was removed from the results as he was declared illegal in tech, thus moving everyone up one position and Toni Breidinger into the transfer spot.
 

Micro Max
The Micro Max drivers kicked things off nicely, as they ran well to begin the wheel-to-wheel action of the weekend. Justin Sirgany (Birel) and David Malukas (Birel) led the field to the green flag to begin the category’s second heat race, setting the early pace. Through the first few laps, four karts made up the lead group, led by Sirgany, as Anthony Gangi Jr. (CRG), Neil Verhagen (Haase) and Philip Varner (CRG) filled the top four spots as Malukas was shuffled back outside the top five at the green. On lap five, both Verhagen and Gangi pushed pass Sirgany for position and then led the way to the two laps to go signal. Sirgany had the speed to retake the lead on lap seven, but heading into turn one on the final lap, the drivers got aggressive and went three-wide with Gangi coming out with the lead. Through turn 10, both Verhagen and Varner drafted by Gangi for position and, at the line, Varner took the win over Verhagen with Gangi forced to watch the action from third. Sirgany finished fourth while Dylan Tavella (CRG) capped off the top-five.

Three drivers broke away at the beginning of Heat #3, as Sirgany once again led Verhagen and Gangi to a small gap over Varner and Malukas. After the halfway point of the eight-lap scrap, Verhagen and Gangi were finally able to break away from Sirgany, watched intently by Varner, who sat alone in fourth. On the final lap, Gangi picked up the pressure to find a way around for the lead. Verhagen held off the challenges from behind and made a serious run, edging out Gangi at the line for the win by just 0.017 seconds. Sirgany was third, Varner fourth and Michael Benyahia (Kosmic) fifth, crossing the line ahead of Nicholas Brueckner (Arrow) and Malukas.

Saturday’s main event signaled the final day of action for the 2011 edition of the United States Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals presented by Ocala Gran Prix. The Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah was the perfect destination for hosting 206 drivers from all across the United States and Jamaica to crown this year’s seven national champions. On top of the honor of winning a title, eight spots for the coveted Team USA to participate at the Rotax Grand Finals in the United Arab Emirates were up for grabs. Leading the way on Championship Saturday were Nick Neri, Kristina Vorndran and Dalton Sargeant all earning a piece of history and will lead the squad come November.

Senior
The field got through the opening corners to begin the 15-lap Prefinal with Tristan DeGrand (Kosmic) holding the lead through the first corners. Nick Neri (Tony Kart) and Joey Wimsett (CRG) battled for second and made contact in turn 10. This put defending champion Stepanova Nekeel (Kosmic), Jesus Rios Jr. (Birel), Daniel Formal (Birel) and Connor Thomas (Arrow) through with Wimsett back to seventh and Neri outside the top-20. Also in the same corner, NASCAR’s AJ Allmendinger (Arrow) went for a wild ride, making a complete 360 in the air after contact with another driver. Once back on four wheels, he continued on at the tail of the field. Out front, DeGrand continued to show the way with Nekeel and Rios exchanging the challenger position. Lap five, Nekeel took the second spot for good and began closing in on DeGrand in the lead position with 2009 champion Phillip Arscott (Kosmic) the driver on the move - up to fifth spot by lap six. On lap six, Nekeel took over the lead from DeGrand with a move into turn 10. Arscott continued charging forward, working by Rios with a strong run into turn one as he continued to be one of the quickest karts on the track. Lap 11, Arscott had found his way to the bumper of DeGrand, making an attempt in turn one but the rookie held of his advance. He would complete the move as they started lap 12, now into the challenger position behind his fellow Pacific Northwest driver. Formal’s race ended on the same lap, following contact he pulled off with a flat right rear tire, putting him 32nd on the grid for the main event. Lap 13, DeGrand looked to regain the second spot back but the attempt failed, allowing Rios to take advantage and steal the third spot from him as they had two laps to go. Nekeel would go on to take the win by seven-tenths ahead of Arscott. Rios, DeGrand and Sam Beasley (Arrow) - up from 16th - capped off the top-five. Neri made a great comeback drive as he came from outside the top-20 up to eighth on the final lap, crossing behind Kiel Spaulding (Tony Kart) and Wimsett with Wes Phillips (CRG) and Thomas rounding out the top-10. Things changed in the tech barn as Nekeel was removed from the classifications due to a carburetion issue with his engine. That put him shotgun on the field for the main event with everyone moving up one spot on the grid.
 

The last main event of the event saved the best for last with the Senior categories 20-lap battle. After a clean start, Arscott, DeGrand, Spaulding, Rios and Beasley made up the early top five. Beasley made the charge forward first, up to third in a matter of two laps. Next to move forward was Neri, who started eighth. By lap five, Neri had posted the fast lap of the race and closed up on the leaders Arscott, DeGrand and Beasley. They would run that way until lap 12 when Arscott was drafted by Neri and Beasley into turn one, and then Beasley quickly disposed of Neri for the lead through turn two. More shuffling the following lap put Neri and Beasley out front by a few kart lengths over DeGrand and Arscott. DeGrand would cut into the gap by lap 15, running the fast lap of the race to make it a three kart lead pack. Through the final corners, Beasley kept close to Neri but was unable to make a move. At the line, Neri scored his first Grand Nationals victory as a Senior driver - and the first to win Mini, Junior and Senior. Beasley was just 0.093-seconds behind at the line, earning his second straight trip to the Grand Finals. DeGrand crossed the line in third but was removed in tech due to a clutch issue. That put Arscott on the final podium step with Spaulding and Wimsett capping off the top-five. Thomas completed a solid event in sixth with Nekeel overcoming the DQ in the Prefinal to finish seventh. Rios Jr. dropped back to eight in the final order with Phillips and Roberti capping off the top-10.

DD2/DD2 Masters
Three-time heat winner Derek Wang (Kosmic) and Bronson Eggert (Birel) led the DD2 field to the green flag to begin their 15-lap Prefinal. Wang broke away as the lights went out to begin the race with Eggert passed by TJ Fischer (Birel) and Kristina Vorndran (CRG) in the opening corner. As they cross the line for the first time, Wang held a 1.1-second gap over Fischer with Eggert back to fifth as Nathaniel Mauel (Kosmic) made a move for position in turn 11. Lap two, Eggert regained the fourth spot through the first corner and set up on the bumper of Vorndran. Eggert tried to move by Vorndran in turn one and pushed wide, allowing both Mitch Carey (Arrow) and Mauel around for position. Eggert would later retire on lap six with a flat tire. In the later portion of the race, Fischer and Vorndran were the quicker drivers, closing in on Wang with Mauel and Carey trailing. At the checkered, Wang took the win by two-tenths over Fischer with Vorndran - recording the fast lap of the race in third, Mauel fourth and Carey fifth. Michael Ostrowski (Birel) went wire-to-wire for DD2 Masters over Erik Jackson (Arrow), Andre Eriksen (CRG), DJ Ortiz (Tony Kart) and Conrad Park (CRG).
 

A nice and steady formation for the DD2 field began the 20-lap main event. Wang jumped out front with Vorndran up to second and Fischer back to third. Vorndran set the quicker lap in the second circuit and even quicker on lap three to close up on the bumper of Wang. Behind them, a battle for third formed with Fischer and Mauel dicing it out for the final podium position. Behind those battles was the first challenge of Ostrowski all week as Jackson moved into the lead of the Masters category for the first time with defending champion Todd Ulmen (CRG) right there after a DNF in the Prefinal. At the halfway point, Wang continued to show the way over Vorndran, who kept the pressure up as Ostrowski was back into the lead for the Masters category. Lap 10, Vorndran made her move, diving inside at turn 11 to take over the lead position from Wang. Out in front, Vorndran set the fast lap of the race to stretch out a seven-tenths lead over Wang as the fight for third closed in on him. Wang struck back on lap 16, posting the new fast lap of the race before she matched it once again. At the checkered, Vorndran scored the national championship by 1.325-seconds, becoming the first female driver to win the DD2 title. Wang repeated his runner-up finish from last year to rejoin Team USA along with Vorndran with Fischer edging out Mauel for the final podium position. Ostrowski drove away once he retook the lead, going on to score a perfect event for the title over runner-up Jackson. Last year’s champ Ulmen had to settle for the third step of the podium in the category. Due to his age, Ostrowski was not awarded the ticket to the Grand Finals, thus handing Jackson his spot he earned with Ulmen taking the other ticket.

Masters
The top two throughout the week thus far - John Crow (Tony Kart) and Jerry Henderson (Tony Kart) - paced the field to the green light with 31 total drivers making up the field. Crow held the pole position through the first turn with Scott Falcone (Arrow) following through to put Henderson back to third. Henderson pressured through turns 10 and 11, allowing Crow to gap the field by half a second in the opening circuit. Bonnier Moulton (Arrow) and Scott Holmboe (Swiss Hutless) joined the lead group with Mike Daniel (Arrow) and Andy Seesemann (Arrow) - up from 11th - into the seventh spot to lead the second group. Falcone kept the pressure on Crow, running for the first time as the lead challenger all week with Henderson keeping him honest. They shuffled it up through turns 10 and 11 on lap four, allowing Holmboe to jump from fourth to second. The racing continued to heat up on lap five with no one backing down. Daniel lost his spot in the top-10 on lap six after dropping a wheel on the exit of the final corner, leading onto the front straight and making contact with the barrier, able to continue on at the tail of the field. At the same time, Moulton dropped out of the race as his chain snapped off his machine to put him back in 29th for the main event grid. After several laps of shuffling and close racing, Henderson was comfortable in the second spot with Holmboe and Falcone trailing. Jason Bell (Tony Kart) led the third group with Brent Harper (Swiss Hutless) and Seesemann. Henderson put down some quick laps in the final laps to reel in Crow on the final circuit. Through turn one, Henderson drafted by Crow for the lead into turn one. Henderson held the spot through to the checkered flag as Crow settled for second. Holmboe finished third with Falcone fourth with Bell capping off the top-five. Holmboe however would be removed from the classifications due to a carburetion issue in tech, putting him to the tail of the grid for the main event.
 

The Masters field was led for the first time by Henderson on the week with Crow in the outside position. Clean through the opening corners, Henderson led the field with Falcone under Crow for the second position with Harper making it a four kart lead group to complete the first lap. Bell and Seesemann swapped the fifth spot throughout the second circuit with Bell able to come away with the position down the front straight. Lap four, Crow completed a pass on Falcone for the second position, giving Henderson a one-second advantage out front. At the halfway mark of the 20-lap run, Henderson continued to post fast laps of the race to stretch to a 1.7-second lead over Crow with Falcone on his bumper. Harper was dropped off their draft in fourth with Bell running alone in fifth. Some great racing was going on from 10th place back, including Daniel, Moulton and Holmboe up to 15th, 16th and 18th. Holmboe’s drive forward however ended on lap 11 with a flat left rear tire. Lap 14, Crow dropped to fourth with what looked like a hampered engine for Crow. This put Falcone to second and Harper up to third until Harper steamed past Falcone for the second position as they began lap 16. Henderson continued to push the pace, dropping the new fast lap of the race that same lap to hold a 4.4-second advantage. In the end, Henderson never looked back and drove to a five-second final gap. Harper and Falcone completed the podium with Crow back to fourth and Bell in fifth. The tech barn was the deciding factor of the podium position as Henderson was removed from the classification for a clutch issue, moving Harper to the top of the podium for his first Grand Nationals victory with Falcone and Crow rounding out the podium.

Junior
Perfect through the three heat rounds, Dalton Sargeant (Tony Kart) and Oliver Askew led the field to the green light. From mid-pack back they bunched up through the first corner as Sargeant held the lead through the opening corners. Askew dropped back to third behind AJ Myers (Arrow) in the opening corner and retook the spot in turn 10. Dore Chaponick Jr. (FA Kart) and Logan Bearden (Haase) made up the early top-five. Jake Craig (CRG) and Brennan Harrington (Kosmic) sat sixth and seventh, with the top-seven spaced out by about a kart length between each driver. At the halfway mark, Sargeant’s lead was about half a second as Askew kept pace with the leader. Craig was the driver on the move, up to fourth ahead of Chaponick, Bearden and Harrington. Completing lap 10, Askew was up on the bumper of Sargeant with his fast laps of the race, a consistent 58.8-pace as they stretched their lead over Myers. Sargeant took the win by two-tenths despite the pressure from Askew. Myers was third with Craig and Harrington rounding out the top-five.
 

The drama began in the opening corner for the Junior field as the outside row got bunched up, pushing Askew and Myers off the course and out of contention. This left Sargeant and Craig to run out front with Harrington, Bearden and Sebastian Coulson (FA Kart) in the top five. After the first few circuits, Sargeant extended his lead to over a second ahead of Craig as the fight for third raged on, over a second behind him. The front six sorted themselves out across the track by the halfway point with Sargeant, Craig, Bearden, Harrington, Coulson and Michael Ilavia (Birel). Behind them, some great racing was taking place with 2010 Mini Max champion Jordan Perry (Tony Kart) up from 15th on the grid to seventh. An impressive performance was on display by Askew. After getting shoved off the track and outside the top-30, Askew muscled his way into the top-10 and up to eighth by lap 15 and running down Perry. Out front, Sargeant and Craig were on cruise control with the top two positions locked up and two tickets to the Grand Finals. At the checkered flag, Sargeant scored the win by six-seconds with Craig four seconds ahead in the runner-up spot. Bearden won the final step of the podium with Harrington a solid fourth. Coulson held off Ilavia for fifth with Askew up to seventh and the fast laps of the race. Perry, Chaponick and Jamaican Collin Daley Jr. (CRG) capping off the top-10.

Mini Max
Christian Brooks (Tony Kart) and Logan Sargeant (Kart Mini) made it a west coast-east coast front row as they led the field to the green light for the 10-lap run. The inside row got the jump with Brooks leading the way with Austin Versteeg (CRG) and Darren Keane (CRG) coming through. The top four shuffled around through lap one and into lap two, allowing Kyle Kirkwood (Arrow) to join the fun. Versteeg and Brooks locked up at the front and by lap three held a six-tenths lead over Sargeant with Kirkwood trailing. As they ran the final laps, the front two were well out in front with Versteeg running a defensive line with Brooks up on his rear bumper. Brooks pulled the trigger in turn 10 and with some contact made, he took the position. Versteeg crossed the line in second. Sargeant end up third, holding off a late charge from Devlin DeFrancesco (FA Kart) - running under appeal - and Kirkwood.
 

The Mini Max field worked through the opening corners cleanly with no driver off track to begin their 14-lap main event. Brooks jumped out to the lead with Sargeant ducking in behind with Kirkwood, Versteeg and Keane making up the top-five. After three laps, Brooks’ advantage was six-tenths of a second as a host of drivers trailed, roughly 10 karts in the second group. At the halfway point, Brooks stretched his lead to just under one second over Sargeant and Kirkwood. Versteeg led the second group with plenty of action taking place. Even with Sargeant and Kirkwood locked up, Brooks continued to stretch his lead heading toward the checkered flag. On the 14th circuit, Brooks kept his Tony Kart West entry clean and out of trouble, scoring the win by 2.519-seconds and joining a long list of successful Mini Max champions. Kirkwood was able to work around Sargeant for the second step of the podium in the final lap. Versteeg held off the group behind him to finish fourth with Thomas Issa (CRG) overcoming troubles in the heat races yesterday to drive to fifth in the main event after starting 11th.

Micro Max
Philip Varner (CRG) and Justin Sirgany (Birel) filled out the front row to begin the 10-lap Prefinal for the Micro category. Through the opening corner, Sirgany was shuffled back to the 11th position as Varner, defending champion Anthony Gangi Jr. (CRG) leading the way. Nicholas Brueckner (Arrow), Neil Verhagen (Haase) and Giovanni Bromante (Haase) joined the top two out front to make a five-driver breakaway. At the halfway point, the top four were able to drop Bromante off the lead draft. David Malukas (Birel) and Mathias Ramirez (Tony Kart) caught Bromante and both worked by for position on lap six. At that time, the front two broke into two by two groups with Varner and Gangi locked up at the point. With two laps to go, the front four rejoined and the movement began as the final lap started. Gangi drafted by Varner for the lead, brining Verhagen with him. Contact between Verhagen and Varner allowed Gangi a clean drive to the win. At the line, Verhagen took second over Varner with Brueckner right there in fourth. Mathias Ramirez (Tony Kart) put in a great run from 10th to end up fifth over Bromante, Malukas and Michael Benyahia (Kosmic).
 

The inside line grabbed the advantage as the field took the green light for the start of their 14-lap main event. Gangi and Varner powered through for the top two spots with Ramirez up to third over Verhagen and Malukas. The top five broke away quickly as the rest of the field mixed it up with a few karts mid-pack and beyond went off course and out of the race. At the halfway point, Malukas was able to work into the lead with Gangi on his bumper, leaving Varner and Verhagen back to battle for the third spot as Ramirez trailed in fifth, well ahead of the rest of the pack. Just six-tenths separated the top four as the two laps to go signal was given to Malukas at the point. Gangi remained on his bumper but Varner and Verhagen worked together to close the gap as Gangi looked for a way around for the lead. Coming to the white, all four ran together. Varner and Verhagen drafted right around the top two, taking over the point through turn one. They diced it up in turn 10 and went three wide behind Varner. At the line, Varner took the victory by 0.117-seconds over his wingman Verhagen with Malukas winning the final step of the podium over Gangi. Ramirez held his starting position, finishing fifth.

The first event under the new MAXSpeed Group banner is now complete with many around the paddock happy with the transition and the professionalism throughout the week. All the key components, partnerships and hard-working staff that helped to put on the event came together well, with more ideas and ways to improve on the already successful event in the minds of the directors.

Now that the 2011 event is completed, drivers from all across the country can now focus on the final opportunities to be part of the Team USA squad, through the Rotax Pan American challenge, with the final event to qualify for the series finale in September in New Castle, Indiana coming next month in Colorado. After that, many will spend the next months preparing for their chance at a national crown at the 2012 United States Rotax Max Challenge Grand Nationals.

MicroMax Results:

MiniMax Results:

DD2 & DD2 Masters Results:

Rotax Masters Results:

Rotax Junior Results:

Rotax Senior Results: